Can't break dial tone on 554.

[sjparadiso]

I have a cosmetically beautiful yellow 554 rotary that has a sporadic dial tone break problem.  For the most part, I can't break the tone.  If I jiggle the phone on the wall mount, sometimes it will break the tone, but mostly not.  I've tested it on two different wall mounts with the same result.  I have it wired the same as a 500, with a jumper tying the yellow and green hook ups from the wall jack.  Any thoughts?  Do I have a bad dial?  If so, how do I get the yellow cover with the numbers on it off the mechanics?

[Dennis Markham]

Welcome to the forum.  Your problem could be related to the dial.  Is it possible for you to post some photos of your dial, both front and back?  Then we can tell you how to remove the dial bezel.  A good shot of the back side will help see if your dial needs adjustment.

[Phonesrfun]

On the 500 family of phones, the dial pulsing springs are on the back of the dial, so removing the number ring bezel will not get you to where you can look at the springs.  Removing the dial from its mount (2 side screws) and turning the dial over and removing the plastic cover from the contacts will, and that is an easier process.  Check to see if the pulse springs are completely opening and closing with each dial pulse (one pulse for each number dialed).

We can give detailed instructions on how to take off the dial bezel too, but that does not seem to be where your problem lies.

Like Dennis said, pictures are worth a thousand words, so if you can, please post some pictures.  From what you have said, I would suspect the dial, but there could be other things at work, so we need a little more to go on. 

Like most things, these are usually simple things causing the problem, but not having the actual phone makes it a little tricky to diagnose using words alone.  Sometimes these take many exchanges of words and pictures back and forth, but our track record around here has been overall pretty good, so be patient and we can work with you.

[sjparadiso]

Thanks for the welcome and for the input.  Pictures will be posted tonight.

[sjparadiso]

Here are four pictures - hope they help.  I checked the pulse springs and they appear to indeed be opening and closing with each dial pulse.  Thanks again for the help!

[Dennis Markham]

sjparadiso, thanks for the photos.  Everything appears to be wired right but it is very difficult to tell what wires go where.  To add to the confusion when the switch was made to modular plugs they changed the colors of the wires.  For example the handset wires on a hardwired cord are two white, one red one black.  On the modular handset plug it looks like green, white and black are used.  It more than likely doesn't have anything to do with your issue but the first thing I'd do is remove that little black jumper wire between G and L1 and move the black ringer wire from G to L1.

I'll have to get out a #9 dial and compare it to your photo.  I'm more used to working with the older #7 series dials and can spot a dial problem right away with those.

By the way, great dial card in there.  What's the history of that card? 

To answer your question about removing the dial, just remove the finger wheel and you'll see a silver three-flange clip.  Just rotate the clip so that the flanges come out from the slots where they secure the dial and it will come off the dial hub.  It's a little tricky to work the ring off past the spring, but it can be done.

If the dial is OK and the wiring is OK (first glance it appears to be) it could be an issue with the contact points on the modular plug on the back side of the phone.  Double check those to make sure one is not bent out of place.  It COULD be causing intermittent interruption, regardless which wall jack you're using.

[Phonesrfun]

Try doing this for starters.

The modular plug that is on the back of the phone that plugs into the wall jack will usually have four wires.  Red, Green, Yellow, and Black.

The red will normally connect to L2 on the network block; Green on L1, and I see Yellow connected to G, which is where it normally would connect, and I do not see where the black wire goes.  It also appears that there is a jumper wire between the Green L1 and the Yellow on the G terminal.

Disconnect the yellow wire from the G terminal on the network and see if that makes it work.  If so, put a piece of tape over the yellow wire spade and tuck it away in the phone where it cannot touch anything else.

If that does make the phone work, then there is something coming into the house/apartment on the second line in your house wiring.  Wires yellow and black are the wires that connect to the second pair of wires in the jack.  If you do have a dual line jack, then you cannot use the yellow and black wires on the first line.

Now if after removing the yellow wire, the problem is still there, we can do something else.

[sjparadiso]

Dennis and Phonesrfun - tried both of your suggestions regarding wires - nothing changes.  One thing I did notice is that the modular plug on the back of the phone has three of four colors - black missing.

But here's something noticed when last plugging it back on the wall and can't believe I didn't notice it before - when I touch/jiggle/move the cradle when there's dial tone, the volume of it changes and there's substantial noise/static.  When it settles and volume of dial tone is low, I cannot break it when dialing.  When the volume is high or what I'd consider normal, I can indeed break the dial tone.  With all that said, could it have to do with the connection from the cradle?

I may be using incorrect terminology, and if so, sorry for that. 

[Dennis Markham]

If you watch what happens with the switch hook as you move the cradle up and down you will see the switch contacts making contact and disconnecting.  It is possible that the contacts are dirty.  There are switch contacts and there are dial contacts.  What I do to clean the contacts is take a Q-tip and dip it in alcohol.  Clean between the contacts between each leaf.  Do as many as you can.  You will see some black on the cotton Q-tip.  Then I used compressed air to blow away any excess liquid or cotton fibers that may remain.  I would do the same with the dial contacts.  Your issue could be something as simple as that.  

If that doesn't work, we'll try something else.

[sjparadiso]

I will indeed do the treatment to the contacts.  I've attached two pictures of those contacts with the phone off the hook, and wondered if you can comment on if all looks right or not.  

In regard to the dial card on this phone, I printed it off a website some time ago, which I believe was this:

http://www.telephonearchive.com/numbercards/

Lots of cool cards on this one.

[Dennis Markham]

I'll have to compare the switch to one of my phones.  First glance things look ok.  It's easy to have that flat actuator come off, so be careful there.  It's the flat green (in your case) piece that pulls the contacts apart.  It will be later this afternoon before I will be able to get to the phone.  I'll report back then. 

Bill, feel free to jump in any time if you see something I don't.

[Phonesrfun]

Dennis et al:

I was tied up last night, and I am at work today, but I can jump in tonight.  I need to also compare the photos to my phone, as his generally looks ok, but the back contacts up against the metal support all look bunched together.  I really need to look at a working model to compare.

We can aslo give him the wiring of which color wire from the hookswitch goes where on the network, in case someone (or gremlins) have moved things around in the past.

[HobieSport]

Just a note to say thanks again for the support for a Newbie to this site.

This is an amazing website with a wonderful group of incredibly civilized and talented and skilled and diverse bunch of friends. We never argue about stupid stuff and we are always glad to help anyone with any telephone.

Welcome.

[bwanna]

welcome to the forum sjparadiso,

i'll drop 2cents

sometimes there is no dial tone? is the cradle fully releasing when you lift the handset? the noisy low volume DT could be the result of a hi resistance short. a solid short  is needed to complete the loop & pull dial tone.


ps   mostly we are a bunch of show-offs

[Phonesrfun]

I believe I have your answer.  A picture is worth a thousand words.  I mentioned that it looks like the back part of the hookswitch is mis behaving.  I believe the white plastic spacer has become dislodged from how it should be in attached to the metal support. 

The one I am talking about is not the top plastic "ladder", which on yours is green, but I am talking about the white plastic spacer that runs through the middle of the switch pile-up.

This is causing the switch to be way off and the springs are mis-aligned with respect to each other.  I have circled on your photo how the back springs are all bunching up.  The back spring should not be coming in contact with the back of the one directly in front of it.  Also notice on yours how far away from each other the front springs are from each other.

I have included a picture of my 554 that has a properly installed spacer.  I have also put an arrow to show how the spacer should be coming out of the metal support.  Hopefully yours is not broken off, but simply dis-lodged.  Take a look at my 554 and compare it to yours.

If you can get yours aligned, I think it will make all the difference in the world